SojoMail - Reading the Psalms this Thanksgiving

View this email in your browser I don’t know about you, but since the election, I’ve found myself turning more and more to the Psalms for perspective, solace, and inspiration.  About a third of the Psalms are of lament — and, at least for me, lament feels fitting.  I love that the Psalms express a full range of human emotions, including anger, grief, disorientation, among other feelings you may have experienced lately.  But while many Psalms start with grief and anger, they almost always end with praise and hope as they claim the very deliverance and solace that God promises to all of us. As Psalms 146 tells us: Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. It is necessary to grieve, but we cannot get stuck in despair or let it turn into hopelessness. In fact, I believe that getting stuck in despair is one of the things that will embolden the very forces of autocracy and injustice that we see around us. Instead, let’s take this Thanksgiving to do as the psalmists do: to give thanks to God. We can give thanks for the hard work that contributed to the election being largely fair, free, and safe, no matter how we feel about its outcome. We can give thanks for loved ones, the food on our tables, the bonds of fellowship in our churches and our communities. We look ahead to the light and hope of Christ’s birth that always comes to the world no matter how dark the current moment or season may feel. And we can commit ourselves to being ambassadors of that hope as we do everything we can to protect those who will be in vulnerable situations in the months and years to come, putting our trust in God to be with us in that work every step of the way. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Rev. Adam Russell Taylor President Sojourners P.S. Giving Tuesday, one of the most important giving days of the year, is Dec. 3. I hope you will show your support for our critical work with a contribution; as a token of our appreciation, you’ll receive a chocolate Advent calendar. Advertisement Our Latest Stories Andrew Wilkes Is Convinced That the Gospel and Socialism Go Together (by Josiah R. Daniels) Wilkes, co-chair of the board for the Institute for Christian Socialism, wants Christians to collectively push the horizon of what’s possible. Read more After the Election, How Are Organizers Resisting Christian Nationalism? (by Sierra Lyons) “We need to learn from past resistance movements and Christian resistance movements against fascism,” Rev. Nathan Empsall told Sojourners. Read more ‘Justice Still Has Not Been Done Here.’ (by María Celeste Masís Ocampo) Inside the Ignatian Solidarity Network’s pilgrimage to honor the 35-year anniversary of Latin American martyrs. Read more From the Magazine: Table (by Helen Mirkil) This month’s poem: “Broken. / The table feeds all. / Says, The meek / will inherit the earth.” Read more Advertisements Global Peacebuilding Advocacy at the UN Mennonite Central Committee seeks a Director for the MCC UN Office. Based in NYC and leading MCC’s presence at this global platform to advocate, communicate and educate regarding social and political policies and practices that promote justice, peace and reconciliation. Gear up for immigrant solidarity with El Camino When leaders think deportation is the answer, we remind them immigrants belong here. Browse El Camino, Sojourners’ robust library of sermons from faith leaders, to learn how you can be a strong advocate for immigrant justice in our nation. Donate Subscribe Unsubscribe or update email preferences Copyright © 2024 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Sojourners | 408 C St. NE | Washington, DC 20002 Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842